Mission Engineering Specialist​/Senior Mission Engineering Specialist

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation's space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space—delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you'll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators.

Join us and take your place in space.

The Enterprise Effects Division drives integration of Aerospace's strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against a dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space‑enabled capabilities.

The Mission Engineering Department provides technical expertise and leadership in mission engineering methods, processes, and tools to a broad range of customers, including DoD, NSS, NASA, NOAA, NNSA, and others. Members evaluate and assess customer mission‑integration needs, develop end‑to‑end mission threads, provide timely advice, recommend solutions, and enable desired mission outcomes. MED applies the mission‑engineering tradecraft to characterize, build, and analyze end‑to‑end effects‑chains.

Engineering Specialists and Senior Engineering Specialists typically serve as technical authority, consultant, primary investigator, or team leader on one or more projects. They lead and/or organize interfaces between customers’ and Aerospace technical and management staff, coordinate large‑scale technical efforts across program/project lines, mentor and serve as role models for junior staff.

This is a full‑time, on‑site position based in one of our Aerospace offices (Chantilly, VA / Colorado Springs, CO / El Segundo, CA).

• Design and develop system of systems and enterprise engineering MBSE models and mission engineering principles to capture end‑to‑end mission threads
• Develop and integrate analytical methods and tools to evaluate program and mission strategic concepts to influence solution conceptual designs for performance, risk, and resilience to disruptive events or threats
• Lead development of architecture for modeling, simulation, and data tools and their interactions, defining concepts of operations and use cases, and overseeing implementation to ensure that intended objectives are met
• Lead and develop models and analysis to identify risks in new capabilities. The analysis will include strategic assessments, operations, resources, networks, and data across the national security space enterprise. The recommendations will inform customer decisions on priorities, funding, requirements, and resourcing for organizations, systems, and training
• Lead project teams comprising Aerospace, customer, and contractor personnel on multiple concurrent projects to elicit and identify needs, requirements, and constraints for studies and marshal technical expertise in multiple technical disciplines and domains to enable concurrent engineering approaches
• Mentor early career and experienced staff, serving as a role model and technical advisor to an exceptionally talented and highly motivated cadre of mission engineers to develop department capabilities and meet emerging demands for department expertise

• Bachelor of Science degree in a technical field
• Substantive experience in space, intelligence, and/or defense domains, typically 6 or more years
• Proficient with engineering and analytic capabilities such as Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or modeling and simulation
• Experience with project planning and team leadership
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with customers, Aerospace program offices, and contractors; to collaborate with other functional organizations within Aerospace
• Experience developing and presenting strategic decision‑making and strategic communications artifacts for senior‑level management and technical architecture design artifacts for engineering‑level reviews
• Time‑management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and to organize and lead cross‑functional, cross‑organizational teams to execute studies and assessments
• Willingly travel domestically